19 March 2009
Stories from 19 March 2009
Brazil: Controversial demarcation of indigenous land confirmed
Five indigenous tribes of Brazil have won a 30-year battle to reclaim 1.7 million hectares of their ancestral land in Roraima in the Amazon on the border to Venezuela and Guyana. On March 19, the Brazilian Supreme Court (STF) ruled on the integrity of the Raposa Serra do Sol indigenous land, keeping its size and borders intact as a continuous area, disappointing ranchers and rice farmers who coveted the land.
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Morocco: Cutting Ties With Iran
Early last week, it was reported that Rabat had chosen to sever its ties with Tehran, after a diplomatic spat between Bahrain and Iran over a statement by an Iranian official questioning Bahrain's sovereignty. Additionally, Morocco expressed resentment at Iran's alleged attempts to influence Moroccans in Europe toward Shi'a Islam.
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Guatemala: A Violin in Silence After Murder of Youth
The latest victims to violence in Guatemala are a young violinist, Hans Castro and his two companions Andrea Robledo and Edwin Urrea. The murders took place in the outskirts of Guatemala City and bloggers are mourning the loss of Castro, who was a member of the Guatemalan Symphonic Orchestra Conservatory.
I do not support capital punishment, in this instance there have no other alternative. What these killers have done is...